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Ho Chi Minh Shopping
An Dong
Cholon's other indoor market, An
Dong , is very close to the
intersection of ÐL Tran Phu and ÐL
An Duong Vuong. This market is four
storeys high and is crammed with
shops. The 1st floor carries nothing
but clothing, including imported
designer jeans from Hong Kong, the
latest pumps from Paris and ao dai .
The basement is a gourmet's delight
of small restaurants - a perfect
place to lunch on the cheap.
Read more about An Dong
Annam Gourmet Shop
A small but well-stocked shop with
imported cheeses, wines, chocolates
and all the other delicacies you
won't find elsewhere.
Read more about Annam Gourmet Shop
Ben Thanh Market
This market and its surrounding
streets make up one of the city's
liveliest areas. Everything that's
commonly eaten, worn or used by the
Saigonese is available here:
vegetables, meats, spices, sweets,
tobacco, clothing, household items,
hardware and so forth. There's also
a healthy selection of
souvenir-worthy items.
Read more about Ben Thanh Market
Binh Tay Market
Cholon's main market is Binh Tay
Market, a Chinese-style
architectural masterpiece with a
great clock tower in the centre.
Much of the business here is
wholesale.
Read more about Binh Tay Market
Blue Space Gallery
HCMC is brimming with art galleries.
Good places to browse are the
handful of galleries around the Fine
Arts Museum and along Ð Dong Khoi.
You'll find excellent top-quality
works at the following places: Blue
Space Gallery , Lacquer & Oil and
Vinh Loi Gallery. Any of these
places will ship worldwide. For
low-quality reproductions of famous
paintings, visit the painting shops
along Ð Bui Vien in Pham Ngu Lao.
Cham Khanh
This is one of several ao dai shops
on this stretch of Ð Pasteur. It
sells particularly colourful pieces
and is a reliable place for getting
an ao dai made.
Read more about Cham Khanh
Chez Guido
The city's markets and street stalls
are a great place to assemble a
fresh meal. If you don't feel like
going anywhere, Chez Guido delivers,
fast (even wines and desserts)! The
menu offers a mind-boggling
cornucopia of international cuisine
but specialises in Italian food.
Download a menu online.
Read more about Chez Guido
Chi Chi
Features well-chosen, lovely fabrics
and fine designs; custom tailoring
offered here.
Read more about Chi Chi
Co-op Mart
Two big supermarkets near Pham Ngu
Lao are Hanoi Mart and Co-op Mart,
just down the street from each
other.
Read more about Co-op Mart
Dan Sinh Market
Dan Sinh Market is the place to shop
for a chic pair of combat boots or
rusty dog tags. It's also the best
market for electronics and other
types of imported machinery - you
could easily renovate a whole villa
from the goods on sale. The front
part is filled with stalls selling
automobiles and motorbikes, but
directly behind the pagoda building
you can find reproductions of what
seems to be second-hand military
gear.
Taxis & Rental Cars
When traveling to Ho Chi Minh City,
don’t expect to rent a car. Vietnam
does not allow any visitors to rent
cars and drive here. However, it is
possible to rent a car that comes
with a local driver.
This system of renting a car (which
comes with a driver) is a very new
concept for many foreigners, but
works well in Ho Chi Minh City – and
works even better if the driver can
communicate with the tourists (e.g.
it’s an added bonus if the driver
can speak a little bit of English)!
In fact, Budget Car Rental has
recently launched in HCMC with a
fleet of new cars all with
English-speaking drivers who act as
driver-guides and neatly bridge the
gap between organised touring and
independent travel.
The cost to rent a car that comes
with a driver can be about $50 or
$60 for an entire day, but rates are
not always set in stone. Tourists
can negotiate the charges and it’s
often possible to get the rate
significantly lower, but beware of
drivers who make up the costs by
taking you to their "favourite"
stores where they receive
kick-backs.
In addition to rental cars that come
with drivers, tourists can also hire
taxis to take them where they want
to go. Using a taxi is a popular
mode of transportation from the
airport to a hotel, however, many of
the hotels in Ho Chi Minh City will
provide a free shuttle service that
can be taken from the airport to the
hotel (and vice versa).
WARNING: Taxis are unregulated in
Vietnam which means owners can
legally chage whatever they want and
they set their metres to spin at an
alarming rate. If you don't want to
get charged outrageous prices for a
short taxi ride use only company
taxis. Most hotels will recommend
them and some hotels provide city
maps with the names of company taxis
on the back. They are
distinguishable from private taxis
by the phone number on the side
which is much longer.
Public Transportation
For foreign visitors, getting around
in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) by taxi
is probably most convenient if you
don't know the language or you don't
know the place well.
It's quite hot during day time, so
waiting for a bus and walking after
getting off the bus is tired. If you
want some fun, you can travel the
whole day in the city and it costs
you very little. Almost every bus
has air conditioner and many are
quite new.
There are more than 30 companies
registered to operate public
transportation with over 2,500 buses
for more than 115 routes to all
districts in Ho Chi Minh City and to
nearby provinces Dong Nai, Binh
Duong, Tay Ninh and Long An.
Fare for one time use starts from
VND3,000 per person. Prepare small
bank notes for your convenience.
Some of the city bus routes can be
found at http://www.satranco.com.vn/vietnam/da...
Popular routes:
* Ben Thanh Market - Binh Tay
Market: Bus number 1
* Ben Thanh Market - Tan Son Nhat
International Airport: Bus number
152
* Ben Thanh Market - Dam Sen Water
Park: Bus number 11
Train can be used if you want to
travel to other provinces. The
Vietnam Railways
Getting Around
Crossing the road in Saigon can be a
nightmare. The trick is to
disconnect the part of your brain
that processes fear. Be Moses. Walk
slowly and confidently - the sea of
motor scooters will part every time.
After this, you’re ready to for some
serious fun - a trip on a motor
cycle taxi (xe-om or moto for
short). Whilst a few vice peddlers
at the bottom of Dong Khoi give
these chaps a bad reputation, and
few speak much English, it’s the
only way to see this town. Note that
your moto driver will be getting a
kickback from some places he’s
recommending. He needs it to live,
so if you get a good moto, tip well.
If not, stop at the nearest corner
and duck into a shop until he’s
gone. 20,000 for short trips,
150,000 plus tip for a half-day.
Taxis are also plentiful are less
likely to try to get you into
tourist fleecing dens. They are a
much safer bet late night.
Maps: Most hotels will provide a
free tourist map of district 1
although these vary in quality and
tend to be advertising based. The
Sheraton have one of the best of
these and will provide one if you
ask at reception. Within District 1,
'Bookazine' at #28 Dong Khoi
(between Ngo Duc Ke and Ho Huan
Nghiep) have larger city maps if you
plan to venture beyond District 1.
The one published by Du Lich & Giao
Thong has a street index on the
back. Fahasa Books also carry a full
range of available maps. They have
two large stores in District 1 - 185
Dong Khoi, just down from Le Thanh
Ton, and 40 Nguyen Hue, just down
from Mac Thi Buoi. MySherpa Travel
have also published tourist maps of
central District 1 with all shops
and points of interest marked.
Outlets in Saigon include Gaya ,
Dolce Casa, Annam Fine Foods, T&V
Tailor, Galley Deli, and a number of
two star hotels. Also see
hochiminhcitymap.info.
Walking tour
From Saigon River , walk to Nguyen
Hue Street , District 1. End of the
street is the building of the
People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh
City. Entry is not allowed however
you can take photos in the small
park in front of this building. It
appears that this area is one of the
most beautiful spots of the city
with buildings, hotels, shopping
places, trees, flowers, people and
vehicles, etc. During the biggest
festival in Vietnam , Tet (Lunar New
Year), Nguyen Hue is the amazing
flower walking street.
Walk back a little from Nguyen Hue
Street , turn left to Le Loi Street
, you will see the City Theater
(City Opera House), intersection of
Le Loi and Dong Khoi Street . On big
festivals such as Tet, Victory Day
30 April, National Day 2
September... live bands performs at
the open area in front of the
Theater and people gather to watch.
Walk on Dong Khoi Street against the
one way direction, you will reach
the Notre Dame Cathedral. It is very
crowded inside and outside during
Christmas night time (December 24
and 25).
On your right hand side, there is
the Central Post Office.
Continue with the Dong Khoi Street,
after passing the Notre Dame
Cathedral, the same street is named
Pham Ngoc Thach. Walk straight, you
will see Le Duan Street . Turn right
and walk to the end, intersection
with Nguyen Binh Khiem Street, the
Zoo and Botanical Garden (Thao Cam
Vien) is there. Animals and
flowers... in the zoo are normal but
there is quite a good museum about
Vietnam since the beginning which
worth a visit, Vietnam History
Museum . Walking into the zoo, you
will see it on your left.
Go straight from the zoo entrance to
the other end of Le Duan Street,
intersection with Nam Ky Khoi Nghia
Street, you will reach the
Reunification Palace (Thong Nhat
Conference Hall, Dinh Thong Nhat,
Dinh Doc Lap). Around this Palace is
a green park with stone chairs for
you to rest. There are Book
Exhibitions in this park sometimes.
No park border nor gate.
Going out from the Reunification
Palace , turn right and walk on Nam
Ky Khoi Nghia Street towards Saigon
River direction, on your left you
will see the City Museum near Ly Tu
Trong intersection with Nam Ky Khoi
Nghia Street . Walk straight and
turn right to Le Thanh Ton Street ,
walk for a few blocks, you will see
Ben Thanh Market.
Or going out from the Reunification
Palace, walk on Nam Ky Khoi Nghia
Street, away from Saigon River
direction until you reach Vo Van Tan
Street, turn left again and walk
straight to the War Remnants Museum
(Nha Trung Bay Toi Ac Chien Tranh)
near Le Quy Don Street.
Bus travel: Traveling on bus is
recommended when you are new to the
city and want to have a quick tour.
Buses are new, clean and
air-conditioned. Ticket costs about
VND3,000. There are many bus routes
but for tourists, these 2 buses are
good for city tour:
- Airport Bus (Xe Buyt San Bay)
connects Tan Son Nhat Airport and
City Center including backpackers'
area Pham Ngu Lao Street , De Tham
Street , etc.
- Cholon Bus (Xe Buyt Cho Lon) leads
you to China Town in District 5.
Arriving & Departing
Ho Chi Minh City's Tan Son Nhat
International Airport ( SGN ) is the
destination of choice for those
coming to the city or anywhere else
in Vietnam. Flying from the United
States (generally Chicago or
California) usually involves a
stop-over in Asia, be it Seoul,
Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, etc.
so be prepared for a long haul.
Arriving
You will be given a two-part customs
form to fill out before your
arrival. Upon landing, follow the
signs to immigration, where you may
pick up your luggage. Afterwards,
you will head to the customs counter
to present your passport, visa and
customs form. They will take the
customs form and return you a yellow
receipt. Keep it! You need it for
departure.
Taxis may be accessed just outside
of customs. The cost to most hotels
in the city center is only $5.
Departure
Taxiing to the airport costs
approximately $3.90. Until recently,
a departure tax coupon ($14) had to
be purchased before entering
customs, but this is now generally
included in the price of your
ticket. After leaving customs, head
up an elevator, where you will
submit your departure tax coupon (if
required) and then head to
immigration. At immigration, you
present your passport, yellow
receipt for the customs form (don't
forget!) and boarding pass, and then
you may head for your departure.
Weather & When to Go
It rains a lot in Vietnam. A LOT.
The wet season lasts from May to
October in the south, and the best
times for traveling to Ho Chi Minh
City are late November through
January. Consider that "dry season"
is a relative term in Indochina.
Temperatures range from hot in the
winter to hotter in the summer, and
the humidity nears 100 about every
day. Expect tropical storms often in
the summer.
That said, the Vietnamese take
little notice of bad weather.
Nothing stops for rain (though you
might want to sometimes--road
conditions are still pretty poor in
some places and travel by bus or
motorbike can be extremely dangerous
in wet conditions). Air conditioning
is standard throughout the city so
you needn't worry too much about the
heat.
The biggest national festival in
Vietnam occurs in late January or
early February and is called Tet.
This is an excellent time to vist
the country, as the streets erupt
with color and... well...
festivities. Tet lasts about a week
(or, for some Vietnamese party
animals, up to a month) and is
scheduled around the lunar calendar,
so you'll have to check for this
year's dates.
This Saigon Ho Chi Minh City Weather
Page has annual averages for
temperature, rainfall and humidity -
as well as the up-to-the-moment
weather at Saigon's Tan Son Nhut
International Airport.
Ho Chi Minh Health & Safety
Being the biggest city in Vietnam,
Ho Chi Minh City inevitably invites
people from other provinces come
here to live, study and work with
hope for a better life and they make
the city so crowded. Generally it is
absolutely no danger to travel here,
no war, no storm, no flood, no
natural disaster, no political
issue, but caution is always
necessary. Watch out when you cross
the street or walk along the streets
as the traffic is almost out of
control. Some, not only poor people,
will look for chances to earn from
you, so keep your money and credit
card in your pants. Try not to carry
any bag when you go out. Cameras,
hand phones and bags are snatched,
not too often, but quite at higher
rate compared with other cities.
When talking on your mobile, stand
near a wall instead of walking and
talking in the crowded streets.
If you rent a motorcycle or a
bicycle, always let people keep with
a fee (VND2,000 or 3,000. U.S.$1 =
VND16,000 as of June 2006) when you
go into a shop or a market, etc.
Keeping it in a big parking lot of a
bank or supermaket, in front of
Fahasa book shops or inside any park
when you see keepers in military
colored uniform looks safer. It’s
common that a keeper after giving
you a ticket (as a receipt to keep
your bike) will normally takes your
bike to park somewhere, but it has
been reported that when you come
back, they say this is not the real
ticket.
If you travel alone, it's not
necessary to advertise this. It's a
tip everyone knows, but you can
always say your wife or husband or
sister is in the hotel, and you just
stepped out to buy something. Male
travelers may sometimes strike up a
conversation with a local lady and
wish to take her to their hotel
room. The hotel will keep the lady's
ID card and return it to her upon
departing. They may ask the lady to
leave after 10pm. Ask yourself "Can
you trust her?" Do you feel you're
safe with a stranger you just meet?
Remember if anything happens, people
will not report it out of shame.
Avoid dark streets at night.
Prostitution is strictly prohibited
in Vietnam but girls still stand
there to catch customers. The
problem is without a proof,
policemen cannot arrest them. Their
manager may rob your belongings, not
the girls themselves. You may see
“thin” hotels (small and with many
floors). See if you have exits in
case of fire. Houses burn down
occasionally due to bad electrical
wiring or any number of other
reasons.
Taxis are unregulated in Vietnam
which means owners can legally
charge whatever they want and they
set their metres to spin at an
alarming rate. If you get stung by a
rip off taxi driver, metre or not,
you can refuse to pay. This might
lead to a heated situation, but
eventually he has to take what you
offer. Use the word "tourist police"
a lot to get his attention. These
rip off taxis will sometimes not
drop you off in hotel aprons or near
other taxis because they know you
will then have people to support
you. If you do get into this
position, make sure you get the taxi
number and report it to the police.
To avoid this type of situation use
only company taxis. Hotels will
recommend them and some hotels
provide city maps with the names of
company taxis on the back. They are
distinguishable from private taxis
by the phone number on the side
which is much longer.
Ho Chi Minh Neighborhoods
Ho Chi Minh City is divided into 24
districts: 7 named urban districts,
7 numbered districts, and 5 outlying
named suburban districts. Most of
the things to do in the heart of the
city occur in District 1 and
District 3: this is where you'll
find most of your sights, museums,
best eateries, bars, etc.
The best neighborhood for the budget
traveler to stay is Pham Ngu Lao,
where cheap but reliable guesthouses
abound. You'll find the least
expensive accommodations tucked just
a few steps away from the most
obvious options, tucked away on the
alleys (this goes for throughout
HCMC). You can find your full of
food here for US $0.35 and up--don't
leave Vietnam without a hearty dose
of cheap street-side pho' (a hearty
noodle soup usually eaten for
breakfast).
The Dong Khoi area is one step up in
terms of ammenities and prices.
While you're in Ho Chi Minh City, be
sure to check out Cho Lon ("Big
Market"), where the city's ethnic
Chinese population is concentrated.
The market is also known as "Cho Tan
Dinh" where you get fair prices
although be aware of "fresh" quotes.
Make sure you negotiate pricing for
20-30 % off the quoted price. If you
are a foreigner, tell them that you
are an expat and are living here, so
please give you a fair price. Learn
some VN will earn some respect and
invite a more friendly negotiation
experience.
Another large market is just a few
blocks away from the five-star
hotel, Sheraton Saigon. It is a wise
bargainer who shops somes of the
hotel shops, small stores before
venturing into the markets. Another
tip - bargain in Dong, not USD as it
is much more finite in pricing and
the total price will be considerably
less rather than rounding to the
nearest USD (around 18,000 Dong to
$1 USD).
Ho Chi Minh Architecture
Unexpected architectural delights
found in Ho Chi Minh City are the
Post Office with its arched high
ceilings (look up!), and the Notre
Dame Cathedral, which is supposed to
be a smaller replica of the
original.
Ho
Chi Minh City History
Situated on the banks of the Saigon
River, Ho Chi Minh City has gone by
several names over the centuries,
most recently in 1975.
Ho Chi Minh City was originally
founded as Prey Nokor, a small
fishing village and main port of
Cambodia under the Khmer, in the
16th century. The name Prey Nokor
means "forest city" or "forest land"
and reffered to the swampy forests
upon which it was founded. In the
17th century, Vietnamese settlers
flocked to Prey Nokor and by 1698,
Nguyen Huu Canh, a Vietnamese noble
was sent to expand Prey Nokor into a
Vietnamese settlement. By that time,
Prey Nokor had became known as Gia
Dinh officially, but Sai Gon more
popularly (Sai Gon coming from
obscure etymology but most assuredly
reffering to the foresty area of the
city).
In 1859, the French conquered Saigon
and encorporated it as the capital
into the newly-formed French colony
of Cochinchina, which later became
French Indochina and subsequently
South Vietnam. There, the French
labeled Prey Nokor Saigon. The
French architectural style is
visible in many of the remaining
nineteenth century buildings, for
example the Museum of Fine Arts and
the Ho Chi Minh City Museum.
During the Vietnam-American War,
Saigon was the capital of the
Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam)
until its unification with the North
Vietnamese in 1975 which united the
two halves. It was subsequently
renamed Ho Chi Minh City in honor of
the pseudonym of the Vietnamese
guerilla leader-Ho Chi Minh (real
name Nguyen Tat Thanh).
Today, Ho Chi Minh City is the
largest city in Vietnam, larger than
even the capital Hanoi, with more
than 8 million people, and hosts the
largest number of businesses in
Vietnam - over 300,000. It is
climbing, slowly but surely, into
the new millennium.
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